Stadium seat or similar article

ABSTRACT

The stadium seat of this invention comprises a frame including a pair of distally disposed channel members operable to be fastened transversely beneath a suitable structural member of a stadium and a hinge means having a transversely disposed hinge rod operable to slide within slots disposed rectilinearly in the interior sides of rectilinearly disposed depending plate portion of each of the channel members, and a cushion assembly including a suitable resilient cushion operable to travel between the channel members and to be positioned over the frame when the hinge rod is at the forwardmost terminal end of the channel members.

United States Patent [1 1 McKean I 1 Sept. 18,1973

[ l STADIUM SEAT OR SIMILAR ARTICLE [76] Inventor: Larry D. McKean, P.O. Box 435,,

' Emmett, Idaho 83617 [22] Filed: Dec. 15, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 208,141

[52] US. Cl. 297/236, 297/283 [51] Int. Cl A47c 15/00, A470 27/00 [58] Field of Search 297/230, 231, 234-237,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,816,871 12/1957 Fish 297/237 1,227,229 5/1917 Abramson 297/236 1,037,266 9/1912 Kirkpatrick et al 297/283 Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney-John W. Kraft [57] ABSTRACT The stadium seat of this invention comprises a frame including a pair of distally disposed channel members operable to be fastened transversely beneath a suitable structural member of a stadium and a hinge means having a transversely disposed hinge rod operable to slide within slots disposed .rectilinearly in the interior sides of rectilinearly disposed depending plate portion of each of the channel members, and a cushion assembly including a suitable resilient cushion operable to travel between the channel members and to be positioned over the frame when the hinge rod is at the forwardmost terminal end of the channel members.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PAIENTEU SEP I 8 ms sum 1 or 2 FIG. I

FIG. 2

LARRY D. MCKEAN INVENTOR.

PAIENTEDSE 8575 3. 758. 57G

SHEET 2 BF 2 LARRY D MCKEAN INVENTOR STADIUM SEAT OR SIMILAR ARTICLE FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to seating, and more particularly to folding stadium seating operable to be stored beneath structural members of a stadium.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Stadium seating has commonly used and employed exposed unupholstered structural members, auxiliary upholstering accessory members, and permanent chairlike seating. Exposed unupholstered structural members, commonly called bleachers, obviously are limited by spectator comfort. Auxiliary stadium accessory members have commonly been structurally unstable because they can not be fastened to the structural members of the stadium. Auxiliary seating accessory members require labor in the assembling and disassembling of the seating. Permanent chair-like seating is complex to install, requires extensive maintenance, and presents difficulty in stadium clean-up and in maintenance. 7

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide permanent stadium seating which may be stored in a seat location within a structural member of a stadium.

These and other objects shall become apparent from the description following, it being understood that modification may be made without affecting the teachings of the invention here set out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Generally, the stadium seat of this invention comprises a frame including a pair of distally disposed channel members operable to be fastened. transversely beneath a suitable structural member of a stadium and a hinge means having a transversely disposed hinge rod operable to slide within slots disposed rectilinearly in the interior sides of rectilinearly disposed, downwardly depending plate portions of each of the channel members, and a cushion assembly including a suitable resilient cushion operable to travel between the channel members and to be positioned over the frame when the hinge rod is at the forwardmost terminal end of the channel members.

A more thorough and comprehensive understanding may be had from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in connection with the drawings forming a part of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS the FIG. 3 showing the seat fastened to a structural member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to the FIG. I, the stadium seat of this invention is shown to advantage and identified by the numeral 10. The seat 10 comprises a frame assembly 11 and a cushion assembly 12. The frame 11 includes a pair of channel members 13 and 14 and a hinging means 15. The channel members 13 and 14 are transversely parallelly disposed at either of the opposite terminal sides of the seat 10. Each of the channel members 13 and 14 is provided at their uppermost terminal walls with mounting plates 16 which project from one of their terminal sides. Each of the plates 16 includes a plurality of holes 17. The members 13 and 14 are fastened to a suitable structural member 18 of a stadium by means, such as bolts 19, disposed through the plates 16, shown more clearly in the FIG. 2. I

Referring again to the FIG. 1, the hinge means 15 is carried by the channel members 13 and 14. Each of the channel members 13 and 14 includes a depending plate portion 20 which is coextensive in width with each of the members 13 and 14. A slot 21 is centrally and rectilinearly disposed in'each of the respective plate portions 20 distally from each of their terminal ends. The hinge means 15 includes a hinge rod 22 and a bracket 23. The hinge rod 22 is operable to slide within the slots 21. The length of the rod 22 is defined by the rectilinear dimension of the seat 10. The bracket 23 is disposed on the hinge rod 22 by means of a plurality of evoluted bracket cylinder plates 24 which are operable to ride about the rod 22. The bracket 23 comprises a bracket plate 23 and a perpendicularly disposed cushion plate 23". The cylinder plates 24 are fastenedto the bracket plate 23'. When the cushion 12 is disposed above the frame assembly 11, as shown in the FIGS. 1 and 3, the cushion plate 23" is fastened in a rearwardly perpendicularly disposed fashion to the terminal edge opposite the rod-engaging edge of the bracket plate 23'. The width of the plate 23' is determined by the thickness of the structural member 18, as shown in the FIGS. 3 and 4. The length of the bracket 23 is shorter than the distance between the members 13 and 14 to permit the bracket 23 to pivot between the members 13 and 14.

The cushion assembly 12 comprises a suitable resilient cushion 25 having a rigid plate 26 on its framecontacting terminal side. The plate 26 is fastened to the uppermost tenninal side of the plate 23", as shown in the FIG. 1. Referring to the FIG. 4, the width of the cushion 25 is smaller than thedistance between the members 13 and 14 to permit the cushion 25 to pivot between the members 13 and 14.

In operation, the stadium seat 10 may be closed for storage by rotating the cushion assembly 12 on the rod 22 and sliding the rod 22 and the cushion l2 rearwardly with respect to the rearwardmost terminal edge of the seat on the underside thereof in the members 13 and 14, as shown in the FIG. 2.

Having thus described in detail a preferred apparatus which embodies the concepts and principles of the invention and which accomplishes the various objects, purposes and aims thereof, it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes could be made in the apparatus without altering the inventive concepts and principles em- 3,759,570 3 4 bodied therein. Hence, it is intended that the scope of a cushion assembly including a suitable resilient the invention be limited only to the extent indicated in cushion operable to travel between said channel the appended claims. members from front to rear on undermost side of I claim:

a stadium seat, a hinge bracket fastened at one of 1. A stadium seat, comprising 5 the terminal sides of said cushion, said hinge a frame including a pair of parallclly distally disposed bracket being operable to pivotally carry said cushchannel members operable to be fastened transion on said hinge rod, said hinge bracket including versely beneath a suitable structural member of a a rectilinearly disposed slot on the terminal side opstadium, each of said channel members including posite the hinge rod engaging side of said bracket rectilinearly disposed downwardly depending plate plate, and a cushion plate being fastened to the portions, and a hinging means having a transversely lowermost terminal side of said cushion, said cushdisposed hinge rod operable to slide within slots ion plate being operable to position said cushion disposed rectilinearly in the respective interior directly over said frame. sides of each of said plates; and 

1. A stadium seat, comprising a frame including a pair of parallelly distally disposed channel members operable to be fastened transversely beneath a suitable structural member of a stadium, each of said channel members including rectilinearly disposed downwardly depending plate portions, and a hinging means having a transversely disposed hinge rod operable to slide within slots disposed rectilinearly in the respective interior sides of each of said plates; and a cushion assembly including a suitable resilient cushion operable to travel between said cHannel members from front to rear on undermost side of a stadium seat, a hinge bracket fastened at one of the terminal sides of said cushion, said hinge bracket being operable to pivotally carry said cushion on said hinge rod, said hinge bracket including a rectilinearly disposed slot on the terminal side opposite the hinge rod engaging side of said bracket plate, and a cushion plate being fastened to the lowermost terminal side of said cushion, said cushion plate being operable to position said cushion directly over said frame. 